I've often written about my adventures with men (under pseudonyms, of course!) during my time as a sex columnist, but I got a taste of my own medicine this weekend when my friend Charlie wrote a piece for The Guardian about his road trip and named me as his ex-girlfriend.
We dated a couple of years ago, and soon realised that we were much better suited to being friends. Still, I was a bit apprehensive about spending ten days with him and two total strangers... but the road trip through California to Las Vegas turned out to be the adventure of a lifetime.
The four of us shared a series of very small and strange motel rooms, and one massive gorgeous suite in Vegas with a stripper pole shower and plastic sofas (probably easier to wipe clean of bodily fluids!). We managed not only to not strangle each other, but to form lasting friendships.
Charlie and I got along famously, except when I was scaring the hell out of him with my driving - I was thinking Top Gear, he was imagining fire crews cutting us from the wreckage.
I'm proud to say that while my current relationships may be a bit of a train wreck, I'm close to almost all of my exes. The trip reminded me that I don't need a significant other to have a fantastic holiday and it brought me one step closer to answering the When Harry Met Sally question, "Can men and women ever just be friends?"
I think that they can, but if there is any attraction on either side it definitely helps if they have slept together at some point. That way, the sexual tension is removed.
Bit foul mouthed isn't your Charlie?
Posted by: Jim Bow | Wednesday, 29 October 2008 at 10:38 PM
The four of you shared economic motel rooms?
Aren't there top up wage things you and Charlie can get if you work for the pink press ?
As for Vegas you should've got a large suite each without even having to promise a plug for the hotel.
Posted by: Ken | Wednesday, 29 October 2008 at 11:00 PM
blimey, you just don't realise how we don't care about you and Charlie - talk about self obsesssion
Posted by: daphne | Wednesday, 29 October 2008 at 11:06 PM
Dear Catherine,
I bought your book " Confessions if a bad girl" last weekend when I was traveling with some friends around Australia.
I am argentinean, but I am doing a posgraduate in public relations in this side of the world.
I can't find the right words to describe how much I like it !! I read it in 2 days, and my friends were very intrigue about it ... because I just couldn't stop reading.
I feel so indentificate with your book and your story, its so hard to find a great guy who likes women, its not engage or its not emotional unavailable !!!!! I am almost 27 years, and most of my friends are already married with children ... but I keep telling to myself that its better to be alone than to be with someone that wants to change us.
Congratulations for your great job ! Please keep on writting you are the best !
Kind Regards,
Maria Florencia
Posted by: Maria | Thursday, 30 October 2008 at 08:24 AM
If you can survive a solid week in each other's company cooped up in tiny rooms and face claustrophobic conditions, annoying habits and inane chat you've done the perfect test run for marriage.
Posted by: Chris | Thursday, 30 October 2008 at 10:17 AM
To think poor old Tiersias suffered the fate of blindness only that we might learn that love is indeed blind
Catherine.
Posted by: Andrew | Thursday, 30 October 2008 at 01:38 PM
Am I missing something? Charlie doesn't name you as his ex (unless everyone else reading his piece is thinking 'Oh, Cat, yes that'd be Catherine Townsend'). Or maybe the print version is different. But one thing's for sure: you've just comprehensively named him as your ex.
Oh well, thanks for keeping him in one piece on the road trip, anyway.
Posted by: George | Friday, 31 October 2008 at 09:06 PM
You wrote that men and women can be friends- just friends above. So did you sleep with him on your road trip?
If you did sleep with him during your trip then you would be more than just friends. PLEASE DO TELL.
A lady should never kiss and tell, unless she is a sex columnist.
Posted by: helen | Saturday, 11 July 2009 at 09:27 PM
you came to California and didn’t even call or see your cousin, shame on you,,lol
I have one old girlfriend who I still see as a friend because there were one or two basic things we did not agree on but enjoyed each others company. This is the only ex I even know where she is but a recent situation ( I have a new and wonderful girlfriend) came about and she turned very jealous at an event I was hosting. All this time she was thinking we might get back together (not gonna happen) if she just hung in there. It just goes to show you, its hard to put out a fire.
Posted by: warren | Thursday, 15 October 2009 at 08:11 AM